Plague Doctor
by EndearedDarkness
Summary: People are getting sick, and no-one knows why. It's an pandemic. A strange man is with the sick and bringing his cures, going simply by the name of The Plague Doctor. Blue, a young girl caught up in the madness of the illness, meets the mysterious Plague Doctor. He experiences something he has never felt before. Love. But how can he express his feelings in the middle of a pandemic?
1. Tolling of the bell

Prologue. If you enjoyed, please leave a review. New chapters up whenever I have time and feel like writing, but I think I might stick with this one. Side note- I'm thinking of deleting 'Black clouds, Dark Skies' as I'm not too happy with how it's turning out. Tell me if you want it to stay or not. Peace!

* * *

He walked through the streets of Kanto, his gleaming black cane tapping the cracked pavements as he stepped down alleyways to reach other darkened roads. Just as he was about to knock upon one of the withered wooden doors of the little houses, he heard a rich tolling from a few streets over. The people of Lavender Town were ringing the bell for the 'great' Mew, the one who was supposedly curing the sick. How cute, how utterly pathetic. They all thought that he was the messenger of Mew, bringing heavenly concoctions to cure their loved ones when they were hand-brewed mixes, each made with hours of work.

They made him sick. All of them. And not the kind of sick that can be cured.

He despised every last one of these pathetic little diseased people, but still he worked every evening, travelling the region and bringing his medicines to the people of every town and village. They called him the Plague Doctor, and he rather liked this title as it made him feel like at least one person amoung all of the idiots that resided in the towns cared for his cause. The Plague Doctor cocked his head slightly to the left to hear the last reverbrating tolls of the brass bell, then went back on his patrol.

This month was the month he spent in Lavender town, and he had hated every single second he had spent there so far. The people greeted him with hostility and sharp words, for fear that he would confirm the worst- the victim of the disease would not survive. He didn't like having to give grave news, but he had to do it. It was, after all, his sworn duty as a Plague Doctor. He just wished that the people didn't act like contact with him would cause death.

He reached another one of the rotting doors, tapping it gently with his gloved hand. Obviously the residents knew who was knocking, as muffled yells and a loud bang could be heard from behind the door. A young woman sheepishly opened the door, her face slightly pink where she had obviously been crying. They had anticipated him visiting with baited breath.

'A-ah! D-doctor, please d-do come in.' She stuttered, each word catching on her lips. He pushed her aside lightly with one gloved hand, holding his long ebony cane in the other. Stooping under the door, he turned to the young woman and looked at her for a moment. She shivered and he just about managed to refrain from hitting her.

'Where is the patient?' He asked, his voice clear despite the mask that clung to his face. The woman pointed a shaky finger towards a dark, narrow bed in the corner of the room, and he strode over to it with his cloak flowing out behind him. Two little children looked unto him, holding eachother and shaking at the spectacle. He couldn't really blame the kids, as he looked as many thought a reaper may look like. Long, swirling black robes, steel mask with a hooked beak and large, glass eyepieces that could only be seen through one way, a small black top hat atop his head and a black belt with a silver buckle to hold his medicines and medical instruments.

He looked down upon the sick man, who was trembling under his gaze. The Plague Doctor turned back to the woman, who looked at him nervously but expactantly.

'He's not newly infected. He may live as long as he is treated correctly, but keep _them,'_ He said, pointing his cane at the children, 'away from him.'

'B-but he's their f-father-' She muttered, still shivering but not as heavily now that she knew her husband would live. The Plague Doctor reached into a pouch that was attached to his belt and took out a thin glass vial. A clear liquid sat inside of it, one of his many concoctions of herbs and whatever medicines he could get his hands on. Gently resting his hand on her shoulder, he gave it to the woman before pulling her close to him and whispering furiously in her ear.

_'Stay away from him unless you want your entire family to die. Husband, father, whatever he is to anyone, he is infected. Put this in his food once every week. He may recover, but most likely he will not.'_

His metal mask was pressed against her face, and she started to shake violently again. He released her from his vice-like grip and stepped backwards, before turning to exit the damp hut of a house. Just before he left, he looked over his shoulder to see the young woman collapse to her knees and sob, her shoulders heaving and her two children running to her side. Shaking his head, he stepped back into the street and closed the door behind him. The Plague Doctor reached to the sides of his head and unclipped the two brass clasps that held his mask firmly to his face and gently removing it.

Taking a deep breath of the stale air, he looked around. Little black bird-like shapes looked at him curiously from the shadows, and he cocked his head at them in response before whistling out into the night and extending his arms as if to embrace someone. The shapes that had sat in the darkness flew from their perches and towards his outstetched arms, settling on his dark coat. Turning his head to either side to look at the birds that had come to him, his silver-brown eyes glinted in the light of the sputtering oil lanterns that hung from little hooks on the sides of the houses.

He suddenly brought his arms inwards, then crouched, mask still held in his right hand and his cane in his left, before leaping up onto a rooptop and staring at the moon. It was full, its beauty not hindered by the oily black clouds that usually obscured the night. The little bird pokémon that had accompanied him surrounded him, tiny black eyes staring up at him from his feet. He nodded at them, and they flew away into the streets, screaming their message, and the people of lavender town turned off their lamps and locked their doors.

The Plague Doctor had finished his patrol. A few more confident people looked out of their windows to see him make his way to the Village Hall's roof, where he fixed his mask back in place and stood, strong and silent with his cloak fluttering out behind him in the cool night breeze. The roof beneath him began to tremble, and the bell tolled once more, carrying its song into the air, singing its exclaimations.

_**The Doctor is leaving! May he begone! The town be cured, may we be blessed!**_

And for one moment, he swore he could hear the utterings of many saying that very same thing.


	2. Nightmare, reality

Chapter one. I hope you enjoy this story, updates may stay quite regular with this one. Remember to leave a review or any ideas for the story!~Eddie-chan

P.S; Stuff in speech marks and in italics will usually be what Miridian says.

* * *

It had been a long night, and the Plague Doctor had actually grown quite tired after his patrol of Lavender town. However, he was glad that the time he was to spend there was over as he felt that the town had a dark feel to it, the people sharp-tounged and the atmosphere gloomy. Reaching under his cloak, at the back of his belt, he felt a small pouch. He unclipped it and held it up in front of him. He was sat atop the Village Hall's belltower, enjoying the feeling of the night breeze and basking in the pale moonlight. Feeling inside the little velvet pouch, he grabbed a Pokéball and pulled it out.

Pushing the tiny button to make the black pokéball become its regular size, he released his companion.

'It's been a long month, has it not, Miridian? I fear this town is killing itself slowly by panicking. There is not much more I can do for it now, however. Strange to think that in less than four months' time we shall be moving back to my hometown. Pallet town will not greet me with open arms as I wish it would, but I think that at least some people will be glad to see my return.' He said, his voice carrying a soothing tone as he talked to the one being he trusted more than any other. His umbreon.

'Breh, Umbre.' it cooed in reply. To a normal citizen it would have just been an umbreon's cry, but to him it was one of the only ways of getting honest conversation now as he understood every word it said. He nodded at Miridian before securing the velvet pouch back onto his belt, and leaping to the next rooftop over. He paused until he heard the light footsteps that his umbreon made behind him and jumped to the next roof. A light laugh escaped his lips as he fled from Miridian and let it give chase. The somewhat frail but melodic sound that drifted behind him as he jumped and leaped was something that could only be drawn out of him by the freedom of the night, a thing which he enjoyed very rarely as he usually spent his time tending to the sick. He was glad that, even if just for a few hours a month, he could remember the times when the world wasn't devastated by a pandemic.

The times when he had enjoyed life, but was never as aware of its value. The times he had a choice of what to do with his existance. Slowing, he jumped down from the last roof of a street to wait for Miridian to reach him and once it had, he started a steady walk down the road that led out of the little town, route eight. Soon he would reach Saffron city, where he would spend a month before moving down to Celadon, stay a month, then travel back to Pallet town. Miridian caught up to him and gave a breathless but happy cry.

_'That was fun! We should play in the night more often!' _It said, flashing its pointed teeth at him in a mock-smile.

'Indeed, that was amusing, but you know I have a duty to fufill. I promised Grandfather that I would be successful as the Plague Doctor.' He replied, stopping to reach down and ruffle Miridian's pitch black fur. Its markings glowed a gentle blue in the dim moonlight, making it clearly visible despite the lack of a lantern. Miridian seemed a little put out by this, but didn't hesitate in staying by its master's side.  
The Plague Doctor removed his mask as he walked, breathing in deeply as both he and Miridian stepped into the shadow of a small forest. Here he could be himself, not a masked anonymous man. Here he didn't have to be the Plague Doctor.

Finding a sturdy tree, he crouched down and leaped into one of the higher branches, unclipping his belt and redoing it around himself and a branch that he lay on. He rested his mask against a nook in the tree's trunk, and whistles for Miridian to join him. Miridian curled up at his feet and he settled down for the night. Closing his eyes, he hoped that he would rest well for the night as in the morning he would have to find a fresh spring to bathe in and set off again for Saffron.

* * *

He opened his eyes and smelled smoke.

Miridian was gone from his feet, and his mask seemed to have fallen from the branch while he had slept. The morning was bright, and he was disappointed that it had come so soon. Still he smelled smoke. Looking down, he gasped, a noise which he never normally made as he had been through and seen a lot in his years. He saw crimson tounges lapping at the base of the tree, then he realised suddenly why the dawn was so abnormally bright.

The forest was burning.

Unclipping his belt, he hastily jumped down from the tree he was in. He remembered Miridian and called its name, but to no avail. He wished that he had it by his side, but he had bigger problems to deal with, like the fact that he would be engulfed by flames if he didn't move. Turning to his left, he saw a clearing nto too far away and if he was lucky there would be a spring with water pokémon that he could get assistance from. He sprinted to the clearing, horrified to see only a dry lake bed. He reached behind his cloak to get his pouch of pokéballs, but felt only and empty, open velvet case. The pokéballs had fallen out while he was sleeping. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_, he thought, furious with his own stupidity. Tendrils of smoke wrapped themselves around him as he looked around, panicked, trying to find some means of escape.

He began to hack and cough, the thick black smog invading his lungs and attacking him with no mercy. Tears sprang to his eyes as he desperately tried to draw in oxygen but to no avail. He dropped to his knees, thoughts spinning in his mind faster than any hurricane ever could. Collapsing to the ground, he reached out to a small shadowed figure in front of him. He was sure that he was hallucinating, his brain playing tricks on him as it was derived of what it needed but he reached out all the same. His vision blurred and he knew that he was going to die, right there, right then. Sending farewells to everyone he could think of, he closed his eyes, submitting to the flames that had begun to flicker at his hands.

* * *

The Plague Doctor sat up with a start, eyes wide and gasping loudly. He turned to either side, expecting to see charred trees on either side of him. Every tree and bush around him was beautifully green in the morning sunlight, and he looked at his feet to see Miridian snoring lightly. It had all been a horrible, horrible nightmare, one of many recurring dreams that visited him on a nightly basis. It was all he could do to refrain from laughing nervously.

He gently shook Miridian awake before returning it to its pokéball, then checked that he had all of his belongings before unclipping himself and jumping down from the tree.

_It all seemed so real,_ he thought, but then all of his nightmares did. He walked down to where he remembered the lake bed was, and saw a glistening pool of cool water. He took off all of his robes and jumped into the gleaming lake. Water pokémon swam all around him, and he played with them and splashed water at them. Here was where he showed his true colours. Here he was not the Plague Doctor.

Here he was Green Oak, grandson of Proffessor Oak.


	3. Encounters

**Wow! Two reviews and four follows already?! Well, I guess I shall have to try my best to keep the story good! Stay awesome :) ~Eddie-chan**

**P.S; The Plague Doctor will be referred to as Green from now on, but people will still call him Doctor.**

* * *

Green finished bathing and got out of the lake, drying off in the relaxing rays of the morning sun before dressing again and arranging his supplies. He had many vials of the stronger medicine, the mixes he'd give to those who were closer to the cold, dark embrace of death but was beginning to run out of the weaker medicines that he'd give to the less serious cases he came across. Releasing Miridian again, he spoke to it in a voice with refreshed optimism.

'I guess we shall have to go and look for some more herbs, Miridian. You can help me find them, okay? I know your sense of smell is much more precise than my own.' He said, his tone lighter than usual. Miridian looked up at him and flashed another mock grin to show his agreement. Before he left to scavenge for herbs in the forest, he picked up the little black velvet pouch that he had left next to his cane. Green emptied it out into the palm of his hand and looked at the six shrunken pokéballs. A black one, Miridian's. Two normal ones, his raticate and his gengar. The rest were empty as he didn't feel the need to have more than his three most trusted companions with him.

He tipped the six pokéballs back into the pouch, his hand tilting very slightly to the side so that they didn't crack under the impact of eachother. Green nodded to Miridian, and they both began walking into the more shaded areas of the small forest. He fastened his mask back into place, as he had to in case he stumbled upon somebody. Having his identity revealed to the public would be dangerous, as before the pandemic had struck Kanto he had been a well-known trainer. He couldn't have young trainers asking him for battles while on duty, could he? No. It would be disasterous to both him and those he had to treat. Only very few in his home town knew his true identity, and even then those few had sworn on the name of Mew that they would keep it a secret.

Green spoke to Miridian again, watching not to speak too loudly in case he disturbed any sleeping pokémon.

'You can look for these, okay?' He held out a small blue-ish plant that had tiny black spots on the base of each leaf.

_'Of course. Those are Teriton plants, right?'_ Miridian called in response, indicating the plant. Green nodded. Miridian ran off into the forest, crying happily as the wind rushed through its fur. He followed slowly, looking carefully for other plants or herbs he might have needed when he heard it. A quiet sound that seemed to carry itself through the forest, hitchhiking on the breeze that the trees hushed. Whistling. He turned, frantically looking for the source of the noise as he was irritated that someone would so carelessly announce their presence.

'Hey! Are you a proffesional trainer?' A voice called out from behind him, and he froze in place. He turned slowly with his hand firmly gripping his cane as he faced the owner of the voice, a girl who seemed a little younger than him. Green looked at the girl as she started to whimper and became pale. She started to back up, taking slow steps backwards. He mirrored her moves and took a step closer, bringing his cane forward at the same time. The girl's back collided with a tree, and she looked behind herself, fearful. Green examined her, checking if she had any weapons on her even though he very much doubted it.

'T-the Plague D-doctor!' She stuttered, her teeth chattering as she had become cold with fear, her head snapping forward so as not to miss a single move he made.

'You know my identity,' He paused, watching her left hand slowly make its way to her pocket... she was about to release a pokémon. In one swift movement, he took off the top of his cane and drew out a rapier from inside of it before holding it to her neck. 'Hold your hands in the air and state your reason for being in this forest!' He yelled, causing her to yelp and shiver as she slowly raised her hands above her head. Green looked through his mask, looking at her face while she attempted to come up with an answer. Her hair was soft behind her head, falling in a shiny waterfall. Two pieces of it came forward over her shoulders and covering the top of her head was a small white and red cap. Tears had sprang to the corners of her eyes, making them glisten softly in the few beams of light that managed to break through the leaves that interlocked with eachother in a gently glowing barrier.

'Please don't hurt me, I only came here wanting to train my team and to get away from Celadon!' She sobbed, her voice shaking. Green put his rapier away and moved closer to the girl, pressing his masked face gently against her shoulder in a way similar to the way he spoke to the young woman in Lavender. 'Don't worry. I won't hurt you. I am a man of medicine, not of harm. Now, what is your name?' he said, speaking in a soft tone so he didn't scare the girl any more than he already had.

'B-blue Misawa.' She said, wiping the tears from her eyes, her voice still quivering a little.

'Thankyou for being honest. Return to Celadon, do not wander in the forest in times alike to these. You do not know who would wish to harm you.' Green mumbled, moving backwards to allow her to leave. She turned and started to run, looking back only to see him staring at her through that mask, void of emotion. Once she had exited his line of sight, he turned and began to walk in the direction that Miridian had ran in. A little figure came towards him with a large bundle of greenery in its mouth, and then dropped them at his feet.

'Well done, Miridian. You got some of the other herbs I needed, too. That's excellent. I'll pack these away and we shall start the journey to Saffron. A month of hard work awaits me there.' Green praised Miridian, and it purred at his feet before being sucked in by the red beam of its pokéball.

_Yes. A month of work. What was with that girl? Nevermind, I shall ponder over the people once I have settled in Saffron. I will have to book a room at one of the inns, then I can brew some more batches of medicine. Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Now to just find a path and arrive there. No doubt the people won't be glad to see me, that's for sure. _He thought, as he found a dirt path with a sign that led to Saffron. Soon he would arrive at the large city and would set about doing his work for the people.


	4. A note for you all

**So, I have some explaining. As you may have noticed, this has sorta been... neglected. That's because it's going to be discontinued until further notice. Sorry!**


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